Definitely, and I understand and agree with what you say. I just love Laozi because he’s taught me how to navigate my recent struggles and it’s been massively helpful to me. I’d say I’ve been a somewhat principled confucianist for a while, even if I didn’t know I was. Arguably, Marxist sentiment is fueled by the same solidary vein.

That said, my understanding from what I’ve read, which I must say isn’t Confucianist literature but rather some commentaries and quotes on it, is that Confucius believed the relationships one is born into are of utmost importance, with feudal loyalty being at the top and loyalty to fellow humans (benevolence) being at the bottom. Since you’ve read more Confucianist texts, pray tell me, did I get it right, or is there something I’m missing?

I know it also said something along the lines of “lords are worth serving because if one weren’t he’d be deposed by the people”, but as Marxists we know how far that goes. Truth be told, the nuance of historical context is important, but I was just thinking if that part of the whole wouldn’t be problematic to a contemporanean reader.

I know I probably have a very flawed understanding, since I (very regretfully) haven got around to reading more works yet, so I’m very looking forward to your instruction on the topic.